Fire Safety in Hospitality
16 May 2019
Section 11 of the 2005 Act states that employers are required to prepare and revise adequate emergency plans and procedures and provide the necessary measures for fire fighting and the evacuation of the workplace. Consideration for all employees and anyone connected with the workplace must form part of how an employer addresses the area of safety health and welfare and specifically the provision of emergency access and egress.
Soure – HSA
Fire safety equipment and systems
All hotels, bars, restaurants, catering etc.. should be equipped with suitable fire safety equipment.
Smoke Detectors
When you have a bigger property, most jurisdictions require that you have an automated centralized smoke detector that integrates all smoke detectors in each location with a master panel. This alerts the staff to immediately identify where a smoke detector has activated and take steps of action without delay.
Fire Extinguishers
ABC fire extinguishers are multi-purpose and are the most commonly sold fire extinguishers for businesses and commercial properties. What does the ABC stand for? They are classes of what type of fires that fire extinguisher can put out:
- Class A – fires from wood, cloth, paper, plastic, etc.
- Class B – fires from flammable liquids like gasoline
- Class C – electrical fires from wiring and appliances
Sprinkler Systems
According to Engineers Ireland comprehensive report, Systems designed to BS 9251 are primarily for the protection of life and not intended for the protection of property or commercial risks. Sprinkler Systems are usually required as a means of demonstrating compliance with Building Regulations. However, there may also be occasions where a Sprinkler System is installed to compensate where a building is unable to achieve compliance with building regulations, for example;
- New / Older buildings where the minimum fire resistance cannot be achieved
- Buildings that cannot meet the access requirements for fire appliances
- Attic conversions where adequate secure escape is not practical or possible
Evacuation plan
All hospitality sectors need to have an emergency evacuation plan. A route must be laid out and that route must never at any stage be blocked or obstructed. Regardless of the location of a fire, once people are aware of it, they should be able to proceed safely along a recognisable escape route, to a place of safety.
If the premises is small and has a simple layout, the normal entrances and exits may be sufficient. There should be no possibility of anyone being cut off by smoke or flames before they can make their escape.
Competent Person
All premises need to have an assigned fire warden or a competent person to maintain all the fire safety equipment – Smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems & evacuation paths. They are in charge of;
- How the system works
- When is maintenance carried out, and provisions for arranging access
- Who should be contacted for immediate repair if the system goes wrong
- In addition details of what was agreed for the sprinkler system at fire safety certificate stage should be kept available for consultation
Take a look at our Fire Safety Awareness course overview here.
If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.